I have a 5 year old TB gelding, he's my first horse :)
I'm 15 and a beginner rider, and I'm trying to train him, but it can be so hard and frustrating doing the same basic stuff. So I need tips, on easy but interesting, fun exercises. We're starting on trot poles again (we had done all the basics, but I didnt take as much time as I should've and he got cranky so I'm starting again) he can trot over one pole at a time; any more than that and he panics, and either trys to jump them, trots one then walks the other, or he falls over them, regardless of the spacing.
So I'd prefer exercises with only one trot pole, or maybe tips on how to get him to trot over two without being silly.
I have pretty much established turns at the trot, although he's not too great with corners yet, he just tries to turn around instead of doing a circle
But his canter is mental! The first time you canter him, he'll slow down a few seconds after you ask him to, but each time after that he gets excited and tries to run away! His canter is usually quite up-and-down, but in the paddock it looks so smooth, which I didnt understand until about a week ago.
He was a bit worked up and cantered instead of trotting when I was riding him, but I didnt even bother trying to pull him up because his canter was so smooth! (I know, teaching him bad habits, but I made him do it again half a dozen times and he didnt try to canter). But when I did ask him to pull up, he did it straight away! I'm thinking maybe he's leading off on the wrong leg or something, but I've never been taught how to work it out and correct it! I swear he canters around the paddock and does flying changes; the first couple of times I watched him, I thought he was slipping, but I watch closer and he was actually doing a flying change
Anyway, not overly stressed about flying changes, or the wrong/right leg in canter, but how can I make his canter smoother?!
Thanks :)
Josiie

You can't let yourself feel frustration, if you do, you need to stop, take a few deep breaths and this will help relax both of you. A race horse is trained to get into the starting gate and go like mad. That is about the extent of his training. You need to ask him to do everything at the walk, teach him from the ground to move his hips, then from the saddle. When you ask for a canter these horses often think they are back at the track. Race horse run faster when the jockey applies pressure to the bit, the opposite of a saddle horse. Learn to enjoy the small accomplishments as one day they will all line up and become huge.

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